Automobile-signal.



A. E. ONEILL.

AUTUMOBILE SIGNAL.

APPLICATION msu Dic. 11, 1916.

oo. l 9 1 6% 2 1D. M .m

n mw ALBERT E. GNEILL, @F GRAND llftICl'lGAll.

Application filed Becember 1l, i916.

To all fui/wm t may concern.'

lle it known that l, ALBERT ll.. ONEiLL, a citizen of the. llnitedStates, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of lient and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful improvements inAutomobile-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in direction indicators and themounting of head lights on automobiles and its objects are: first, to somount the head lights on automobiles that the rays of light therefromwill always be held in direct alinement with the forward wheels of theautomobiles, thus not only illuminruging` the track the wheels are totravel, but, at the same time indicating; the direction an automobile isabout to proceed, whether directly ahead, or to the right or to theleft; second, to so arrange the connecting elements between thesteering; bar and the .lamp actuating` bar that it may be readilyadapted to any automobile steering gears, and, third, to so mount thehead lights and the actuating mechanism that they will not be affectedby .sudden ars of automobile, as when running` over rough roads, throughruta, Src.

l attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in theaccoinpanying1 drawing, in which Figure l is a front elevation of thefront aXletree and wheels of an autonlobile with my appliance attached;2 is a plan of the same; Fig. 3 shows the axletree in section and 'thewheel and appliance in elevation as lookingto the right from the line 11 of Fig. l; Fig. l is a plan of the ad- Ll til@ justable connecting armwith the actuatingA spring` removed; Fig. 5 shows the lamp supportingsleeve in section. to disclose the internal construction thereof, andits connection with the several other elements of my invention, and,Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the supporting sleeve and its severalconnecting elements that gro to make up an operative combination ofparts necessary for the attainment of the several objects hereinbeforestated. v

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views shown in the drawing.

ln the accompanying drawing l represents the forward wheels of anautomobile, and 2 represents the axletree. 3 represents the steeringarms on the wheel hubs, 3 the pivotal. connection betr/veen theazrletree and Specification of Letters atent.

li'atented heb. 26, figlio..

Serial No 3435.342.

the wheel hub; el, represent the springs or supporting frame for theautomobile body; represents the steering` rod that connects and actualesthe steering arms on the wheelv hubs, and and 13 represent the lampyolies and the lamps, respectively.

.in my construction l provide sleeves l0 that are provided with ballbearings, as in dicated at (Z, o. which sleeves are securely mountedupon the spring frames by means of any j )roperly applied suppoitinglelement, as the clanip lll, No the sleeve will. be held firmly in place.l then pass the lamp yoke stem lfthrough tue sleeve and securely connectan actuatine arm, as Slat the lower end ofeaoh lampyoiie stem. l thenprovide a rod G that is pi t lly connected, at the ende, with the end ofea ch of the arms 9, 9 so that any increment that is transmitted to the'l` to the arms 9, 9

rod 6 wi i be communicated so the lamps lil unl be made to turn with iryolres to an extent cofrespondino1 with .ne longitudinal niovei'nent ofthe rod 6, as indicated by the arrows o, and Z) in Fig. 2.

l provide for transinitting` longitudinal movement to the. rod 6, whenturning the wheels to the rightor `to the left,` by pivotally securing aconnecting rod to theA steering rod 5 and the lamp actuating rod G, andto maire this connecting' rod adjustable in all necessary respects lmaire it up of several parte, as follows: T he arm Y is securelyconnected with, and entends downward from the lamp actuating` rod ll toa position practically parallel with the steering rod 5. The shaft orrod 8 of the connecting` rod is pivotally connected, at one end, withthe lower end of the arm 7, as at o, and the other end of this shaft issecurely connected with the sliding member l, C at e', so the slidingmember l5 must always move with the shaft 8. l then provide two sideshafts or rods, 1l, lll that are securely connected with the slidingmember l5, as e, e; the opposite ends being connected, or made integralfor the pivotal connection of the link 17, as at g, the sliding memberl5 being adapted to slide freely on the shaft or rod 8, while thesliding member l5 slides freely on the rods la, le. l then place aspring 1G, see Fig. 2, around the shaft 8 between the sli ding-membersl5 and l5. By this means l have pro vided for a flexible longitudinaladjustment of the connecting rod. rfhe link l? is designed to allow ofthe adjustment of the` the steering rod 5 and the lamp actuating Vrod,as follows: In some instances the relative positions of the rods 5 land6 may be sueh as to require the link to assume the position indicated inFig. 3, while in other casesthese rods may` be so far apart as torequire the link to assume the position indicated in Fig. 6, or anyposition intermediate between the two, hence the need for, and thepivotal connection of the link at the end of the connecting rod.l

VAshereinbefore intimated, one end of the link 17 is pivotally connectedwith the connected ends of the rods 14, 14, as at g, and

lthe other end of the link is firmly clamped upon the rod 5,"so that anylongitudinal movement of the rod 5, for changing the positions of thewheels l, 1 to steer the automobile out of a direct course, as indicatedby the dotted outlines of the wheels in Fig. 2, will be transmitted tothe rod 6, and through the action of the rod 6 upon the arms 9, 9 thelamps will be simultaneously turned from a direct line forward,indicated lby the arrows a, to the same'degree or angle Vto one side, orthe other from the direct be possible if the rays of light were eastonly directly parallel with the wheel.

I provide for avoiding sudden shocks by reason of rough roads, by meansof the pivotal connection at c, which will allow the link end of theconnecting rod to be moved suddenly and Jforcibly up and down with outhavingany eflect upon the rod (5, thus aver-ting the danger of suddenlyarring the lamps.

The link 17 may be secured in place upon the rod 6 by any availabledevice, as by the bolt f in Fig. 6.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is:

In combination with automobile lamps, and a steering rod of anautomobile, sleeves securely connected with the 'frame of the au- 1'tornobile, lamp yokes revolubly mounted iu said sleeves, arms extendingbackward at right angles with, and securely connected with the lower endof the lamp yokes, a rod pivotally connected with said arms, a eentralarm on said rod, a connecting rod having longitudinal slidingconnections for longitudinal adjustment, one end ot said adjustableconnecting rod pivotally connected with the central arm, a spring forholding the parts of the adjustable connecting rod in normal positions,and a. lilik pivotally connected at one end with the connecting rod andsecurely connected at the other end with the steering rod, substantiallyas shown and 'l described.

Signed at Grand Rapids, Michigan, December 7, 1916.

ALBERT E. ONEILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

